Amazon Game Studios is fully retreating from the MMO market, handing off operational control of two major live-service titles to their original developers. According to PC Gamer, Lost Ark will transition to Smilegate's full control in early 2027, while Throne and Liberty will move to NC (operating through subsidiary FirstSpark Games) by the end of Q4 2026.
The transition marks the end of Amazon's MMO publishing era. As reported by Eurogamer, Amazon will cease supporting Western game servers for Lost Ark from 2027 onward, ending years of localization, community management, customer support and content operations. The company is also shutting down development on its own MMO, New World: Aeternum, which will go offline on January 31, 2027.
Both Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty will continue operating under their new operators with minimal disruption to players. However, PC Gamer notes that some Lost Ark player data will not transfer to Smilegate, including in-game mail, friends list memos, group names, guild member nicknames and chat history. Final details regarding the Throne and Liberty changeover are still being finalized and will be announced closer to the transition date.
The shift underscores Amazon Game Studios' struggles in the competitive live-service space. While the company invested heavily in these projects as a publisher, it has found less success with its own in-house game development initiatives.
